2022 PENNSYLVANIA GOVERNOR’S RACE – Eugene DePasquale vs. Josh Shapiro for the Democratic Primaries…. Shapiro needs to Crawl Back to the Montgomery County Hole of Corruption from Where He Came

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While everyone knows I’m a huge fan of Governor Wolf, his approval ratings are lacking, and the raging pitch-forked armed mobs of Republicans and moderate middle of the road democrats have been coming out of the woodwork for years now.

I do want to remind my readers of some of Wolf’s achievements while in office:

DISEMPOWERING THE LIQUOR CONTROL BOARD: Allowing grocery stores to sell wine and beer (I thought I would start with the most popular ones first).

EMPLOYING DOCTORS AND NEW RESOURCES (NOT INVOLVING JAIL) TO COMBAT THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC):Finding a humane way to fight against the opioid epidemic by partner with medical doctors instead of “tough on crime prosecutors” – Tom has provided funding to implement 45 centers of excellence (COE) throughout the commonwealth that to date have provided a level-of-care assessment for subsCITATIONtance use disorder to nearly 11,000 individuals, providing treatment to 71 percent of individuals in the first year of implementation. CITATION

INISISTING ON TRANSPARENT GOVERNMENT, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO GOVERNMENT SPENDING: Insisting on Government Transparency: We need a government that restores faith in the fundamental notion that our democracy still works while efficiently providing services to Pennsylvanians. Our government should be transparent and fully accountable, and taxpayers deserve to know how every penny is spent. CITATION

TAKING ON GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION: Working to end government corruption and Harrisburg cronyism, among what Diane Gochin likes to refer to as the “Italian Mafia” of Pennsylvania: Tom is committed to government reforms that increase efficiency, reduce waste, and eliminate cronyism and corruption, and since his first days as governor, he has been praised statewide for his moves towards transparent government that works in Pennsylvania. CITATION

The above accomplishments are just to name a few, there are many more. I am a huge fan of Wolf. But that won’t stop me from voting or a republican governor in 2022, depending who pops up. Let’s just talk about the democrats now, since all the jury meandering is going to result in a Democratic Governor.

Tom Wolf clearly isn’t Pennsylvania Governor for the power or the money. Every penny of his salary he donates to charity, and he is not afraid to step on toes of corrupt government officials. Recall that he was the one who worked in 2016 to call an emergency session of the Senate off-season (hardly heard of), and remove the crooked felon former attorney general Kathleen Kane from Office. He has gone so far as to refuse a state pension, and signed an order prohibiting gifts to his administration from lobbyists. He drives a used Jeep to work every morning, and it isn’t preceded by a motorcade. Wolf is a humble guy, sticking up for the little guy.

Wolf touted himself on the campaign stump to be a “different kind of leader,” and for certain he has been.

But let’s get real, if Wolf does run again as a democrat, he is going to have some contenders.

ATTORNEY GENERAL JOSH SHAPIRO AS GOVERNOR WOULD BE A TOTAL SHIT SHOW, AND HE WOULD USE IT AS ANOTHER “STEPPING” STONE TO THE WHITE HOUSE, WHERE HE HAS AMBITIONS TO BE PRESIDENT

If you can recall back to 2016 during the Attorney General Election, it was a heated race between republican Senator John Rafferty and Democratic Montgomery County Commissioner Josh Shapiro.

Senator Rafferty, who is no stranger to the twisted world of Pennsylvania politics, called Josh Shapiro out during a debate. Rafferty pointed out that Shapiro had “even less experience than Kathleen Kane.” I’m sorry but balancing the budget alongside Bruce Castor for the Montgomery County Commissioners does not make you qualified to be Attorney General of Pennsylvania.

But this was a closely watched race. After Governor Wolf’s emergency removal of Kathleen Kane from Office, Bruce Beemer was appointed as interim Attorney General. A jolly, very round man, with normally red cheeks, disheveled hair, and a fondness for sandwiches: Beemer had worked in the OAG for years, and he was trusted and well liked by OAG staff, as well as trusted deeply by Wolf, who appointed him to his own cabinet after his interim position as PA attorney general had expired.

Frankly, I wished Bruce Beemer would have run. He would have been like the Chris Farley of the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office. He would have gone light on non-violent crimes, been low key in the news, stayed out of the national limelight, and put his head down and done his job with integrity.

But armchair political critics say that Bruce Beemer had lacked the charisma. Meanwhile the OAG was in shambles, there was a clear lack of faith exhibited by the public in the criminal justice system after Kathleen Kane, and Pennsylvania was a national embarrassment for having one of the most corrupt court systems in America.

So while Rafferty was running for OAG in a highly contested race against Josh Shapiro, Rafferty had several criticisms, and these critical predictions all came to an eerie truthful outcome:

Senator John Rafferty said that Josh Shapiro was just “using” the office of the attorney general as a political stepping stone for his own future political endeavors: During a debate, Rafferty argued the following: Rafferty has argued Shapiro has shown ambitions that suggest his focus is on his next step in politics. “The office of attorney general should not be a rental space, should not be a stepping stone,” Rafferty said. What the republican Senator was trying to say, is that Pennsylvania needed an Attorney General who was in it for the long run, and could put his/her political ambitions aside and focus on the needs and wants of Pennsylvania. Josh Shapiro denied his intention to use the office of the Attorney General as a political stepping stone to run for Governor or President, but anyone who follows his activities in Pennsylvania politics knows that is pure horse shit. Rafferty vowed to serve all four years of his term, and four more years if re-elected. Shapiro said he would “serve out a full term” but declined to, as he put it, “sign silly political pledges.” CITATION

Senator John Rafferty pointed out Josh Shapiro’s lengthy history of cronyism with some of the most disgusting characters in Pennsylvania politics, Bruce Castor for one. Bruce Castor and Josh Shapiro, a republican and a democrat, became BFF on the board of Montgomery County Commissioners. When Castor figured out he could not destroy Shapiro politically or sabotage him with his normal Castor like manipulative and corrupt moves, Castor befriended Shapiro, and there were even talks of giving Castor a spot in the Office of the Attorney General, despite his close affiliations with Kathleen Kane. Shapiro likely would have offered Castor a spot, but the cronyism with such a scandal-ridden-disgrace of a lawyer would have tarnished Shapiro’s reputation. And after all, Shapiro had higher political ambitions and did not want to step on any toes. If he were going to be president one day, it was an absolute must he maintain his public reputation.

The infamous Porn-Report: After the Kane administration the public had an aching need for transparency in that office. The Porn Report became a highly contested item in the political race. Rafferty said he would have an out of state lawyer review the report. Rafferty said if it’s up to him, he plans to release “the information,” but would first examine it to make sure it will not unfairly tarnish anyone. Shapiro said he would release “those emails.” CITATIONSo there it is for you, no further evidence needed, Shapiro ran his campaign like the liar he is is, who will say anything to get into office and is coveting the governor’s seat despite his denials. Shapiro never intended to release the pornographic emails shared on government addresses, because they were forwarded on by powerful Judges, and potentially his future campaign supporters in the 2022 gubernatorial race.

SHAPIRO’S “ACCOMPLISHMENTS” WHILE IN OFFICE LACK SUBSTANCE AND ARE JUST DESIGNED FOR HIS OWN SELF PROMOTION

JOSH SHAPIRO KNOWS A LOT OF PEOPLE HATE TRUMP, SO HE SPENDS HIS TIME WRITING TRUMP LETTERS, SO HE CAN POST THEM IN THE PRESS AND PRETEND LIKE HE IS DOING SOMETHING: Writing Donald Trump letters that Donald Trump neither cares about or reads, and then blasting a huge press release. Trump doesn’t read these letters, and nor does he care. The only people who are reading these letters are the people in small rural Pennsylvania towns whose papers republish these letters, thereby getting more facetime in front of small town Pennsylvania. These letters come with no punch, no threats, they are likely never read by Donald Trump, and nobody in the White House really cares about Josh Shapiro’s opinion, and frankly neither does the rest of the country. If Shapiro sent letters to Trump threatening lawsuits or legal action that would be one thing, but these democratic party pandering penned letters are likely filed away and never cross over the Presidents desk. Other democratic politicians in the country scroll by, “oh there is another substanceless letter to Trump from Josh Shapiro” who is writing just to agree with everyone else, and try and get himself in the news.

JOSH SHAPIRO IS DOING NOTHING BUT THE SAME TO CHANGE THE ESCALATING OPIOID EPIDEMIC, HIS OFFICE IS JAILING LOW LEVEL OFFENDERS WITHOUT PROVIDING MEDICAL TREATMENT OR DRUG COURT ALTERNATIVES: Declaring “war” on the opioid epidemic by providing treatment to offenders in conjuntion with criminal penalties, but only offering criminal charges on low level drug dealers, inner city minorities mostly, and then holding a big press conference everytime he burps or coughts up one of these “heroin dealers.” Not offering any treatment options at all, but churning them, with the highest sentences, through the criminal justice system.

JOSH SHAPIRO DOESN’T ACTUALLY WRITE LAWSUITS, HE JOINS IN LAWSUITS WRITTEN BY OTHER ATTORNEY GENERALS FROM DIFFERENT STATES. IN OTHERWORDS, JOSH SHAPIRO DOESN’T ACTUALLY DO ANY SUBSTANTIATIVE WORK: Joining his buddy out of another state, and adding Pennsylvania on as a joinder defendant for the complaint against Mark Zuckerburg. Shapiro prefers to sue Facebook than prosecute people like Kane, Doerr, Spanier, Parks Miller or any of the other notorious walking criminal public officials. Then after joining Pennsylvania in a lawsuit written by an OAG out of another state, he held a big press conference and took credit for it.

JOSH SHAPIRO HOPS ON THE BAND WAGON OF ANY HOT TOPIC NEWS ISSUE SO PEOPLE WILL PAY ATTENTION TO HIM IN HIS PRE-CAMPAIGN FOR HIGHER OFFICE: Trying to repeal the right of Pennsylvanians to conceal carry a gun, and capitalizing on school shootings in the national news. Then holding a big press conference about how he is “doing something” about the mass shooting epidemic.

JOSH SHAPIRO’S EGO AND SENSE OF IMPORTANCE FAR EXCEEDS HIS GENERAL WORTH, AND IS WASTING TAX PAYER MONEY TO FEED INTO HIS NARCISSITIC NEED FOR ATTENTION: Traveling in a motorcade across Pennsylvania, riding in the back of a tax payer funded Chevy Blazer with a tax paid government employee driving, and police escorts to go from town to town on tax payer dime to “learn” about these rural Pennsylvania towns. Let’s call a spade a spade: This is a tax payer funded luxury campaign bus for governor.

JOSH SHAPIRO DOESN’T FULFILL HIS PROMISES, BUT MAKES FAKE EMPTY GESTURES SO HE CAN PRETEND TO FILL THE PROMISES HE MADE TO VOTERS: Swearing to fight public corruption but ignoring all cases of public corruption that crom across his desk, which include but are not limited to: Judge Thomas Doerr, Claire Risoldi, Kathleen Kane (never went to jail yet), Stacy Parks Miller, Former President Graham Spanier, that fat slob of a prothonotary in Clearfield County, among probably close to 100 others. Josh Shapiro is happy to hit someone with criminal charges, so as long as their pocket book is not large (doesn’t want to alienate a potential donor base), and so as long as they are not powerful enough to ruin his chances for running for governor. Josh Shapiro’s version of fighting public corruption and restoring integrity after the Kane administration was to make the close to 900 employees in the OAG sign integrity oaths. Then he held a big press conference.

JOSH SHAPIRO IS A FAIR WEATHER FRIEND AND POLITICAL ADVOCATE: Swearing to protect the rights of LBGT, and getting that community on board.“Josh has been an ally of the LGBT community since the very beginning of his public service,” said Segal. “I’m proud to add my name to the long list of LGBT leaders from around the state who support Josh’s campaign.” “It’s critical that we have an Attorney General who will protect and fight for the rights of the LGBT community across our Commonwealth,” said Ben Allatt, Harrisburg City Councilman and chair of the Capital Region Stonewall Democrats. “In Josh Shapiro, we’re backing a true progressive leader who will fight for a more just, inclusive and equal Pennsylvania.” CITATIONBut I dare you to name a single LBGT cause or legislative action that Shapiro has jumped on board with. There has been significant push for legislation for LBGT equality in the workplace, but where has that little midget been? Not anywhere in sight, God forbid a plan he promised to support, ruins his chances at the governor’s race because he will alienate the middle of the road LBGT community.

THERE IS MUCH MORE I COULD GO ON ABOUT THAT WOULD RELAY WHAT A DIRTBAG SHAPIRO IS, AND HOW HE NEVER KEEPS HIS WORD AND WILL SAY WHATEVER HE CAN TO GET HIMSELF INTO OFFICE…… BUT I’D PREFER TO TALK ABOUT GENE DEPASQUALE NOW.

Clearly Gene is a better choice in 2022 if Pennsylvania is to re-elect another democratic government. Which is likely, because we’ve redrawn district lines and made history for voter meandering. The next governor of Pennsylvania will be a democrat, so let’s pick the less worse of the two evils: Gene.

Not really saying that I think Eugene is evil, actually, I find him shockingly honest, and suspect he must be from out of state or did not grow up in Pennsylvania politics. If he did, he is a strange anomally of sorts.

And Pennsylvania leaders want Eugene to run. Any politician worth their salt can see through the narcissism and political showboating and lack of substance that Josh Shapiro has brought to office.

The Morning Call published this today:

Following the customary rule of politics – that one should not be seen campaigning for one’s next job – Auditor General Eugene DePasquale has denied repeated rumors that he’ll make a Democratic bid for governor in 2022.

Which, means, of course, that he’s totally going to run.

According to The Times-Tribune of Scranton a Democratic state House candidate named Robert Castellani said the state’s top fiscal watchdog told him in a phone call that he’d be running for the state’s top spot four years hence.

I can just imagine Josh Shapiro riding along in his chauffered car with a motorcade on his way into work reading this article between posting selfie facebook videos about what an amazing person he is. His napoleanic little sychophantic self promoting heart must have skipped a beat.

Thank GOD he has competition.

Both DePasquale, of York, and Attorney General Josh Shapiro, of Montgomery County, have been mentioned as likely Democratic standard-bearers in four years. That presumes that Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, also of York wins another term. And there are three Republicans at the moment who’d like to think otherwise. CITATION

WHAT HAS PENNSYLVANIA AUDITOR GENERAL EUGENE DEPASQUALE ACCOMPLISHED IN OFFICE?

Well Eugene generally stays out of the press, and when he does go to the press, he normally has something important to say. While his potential future openent may take to the press to announce he wrote an enclosure letter to Donald Trump, enclosing lawsuit written by an AG from a state other than Pennsylvania, normally Eugene keeps his head down and does his job.

What people often forget about Eugene’s position is that he is more of an accountant. He can point out fiscal indiscrepencies or illegal spending by government agencies and/or officials, but he lacks the power to prosecute. When he discovers these illegal or unethical or wasteful financial spending accounts run by the government, he can report them, publish them, and ask his future competition Mr. Shapiro to prosecute. For example, the Hershey Trust or the Penn State Board of Trustees. Depasquele issued reports on both these entities showing wasteful spending of government monies and recommending changes. Josh Shapiro (who has a lot of crooked little friends on the Penn State BOT, including Mr. Graham Spanier), was not going to touch that. ANd unlike his predecessor Kane, he was not about to attack the Hershey Board of Trustees, as they are likely high dollar donors, and he definately does not want to step on their toes. There is only so much Eugene can do. He can report his findings to the “top law enforcement officer” of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, but his job duties literally preclude him from doing anything about the misspending of tax payer monies he is finding.

I can’t imagine how irritating that must be for him to be in that position.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_htSPGAY7I&feature=youtu.be

But let’s switch gears on how incompetent and corrupt his future gubernatorial opponent Josh Shapiro is, and focus on the good work of Eugene. Here is what Eugene has accomplished in office:

DEPASQUALE WAS SHAMELESS IN POINTING OUT THE WASTE OF MONEY: Even during his first term in office, Eugene caught $600 MILLION, that’s right $600 MILLION dollars worth of tax payer paid wasted dollars:Auditor General DePasquale delivered on his promise to be a tough, fair and independent fiscal watchdog for Pennsylvania taxpayers. So far, his audits have identified nearly $600 million in misspent or potentially recoverable state money including urging the state pension plans to cut another $100 million in Wall Street investment fees.CITATION I have no doubt in my mind that this report pissed a number of powerful people off, who were potential donors to Eugene’s campaign in the 2022 governor’s race, but no longer will contribute. But Eugene wasn’t thinking about his own selfish political motivations, unlike Shapiro ( a slight man who tries to use inflection in his voice to make himself sound like Obama while giving speeches), Eugene took an oath and was doing his job to protect Pennsylvania. So if he pissed off a few future high powered donors while uncovering government misspending, then f#ck them, he must have thought.

DEPASQUALE TOLD GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES TO START DRIVING THEIR OWN CARS TO WORK, AND QUIT USING GOVERNMENT VEHICLES AND GAS FOR PERSONAL TIME: DePasquale put a stop to the free use of government cars and free gas for government employees to use on their own personal time (except for Josh Shapiro’s chauffeur driven SUV and motorcade which Shapiro takes to view his kids soccer games), Depasquale believed this was a waste of government tax dollars, particularly as government employees were using these vehicles to commute too and from work, run personal errands and had an unlimited account for charging free gas. His growing reputation as a national leader in fiscal accountability and government transparency were galvanized by eliminating the department’s 244-car fleet and being the first statewide elected official to put his travel expenses online for public inspection as well as all of his department’s monthly expenses. CITATIONPersonally, I would have loved to been a fly on the wall to hear how Shapiro justified his exorbitant motorcade and chauffeured car, and security entourage to Eugene – who like the governor – drives his own car to work, and definitely does not take a motorcade out to appear at his kids soccer games. I imagine the two men must but heads, as Shapiro is the apex of wasteful government spending, and Eugene does the books and has no authority or enforcement power over the OAG to make the gravy train stop.

Eugene’s work has touched the Hershey Foundation, Penn State, The Second Mile, and he has advocated for children. Don’t think – Don’t you DARE think – that for one moment taking on these causes did not piss some important people off in government: Auditor General DePasquale’s ongoing work touches the lives of all Pennsylvanians. He is most proud of the work that led to fixing the state’s child-abuse hotline, ChildLine, where more than 58,000 calls went unanswered before his audit; reducing the number of untested rape kits in Pennsylvania and across the nation; and recommending improvements in the state’s response to the opioid crisis. He continues to fight to protect children from abuse, end the backlog of untested rape kits, make college affordable for the middle class, and ensure seniors have access to the services they need. CITATION

And unlike Shapiro, DePasquale was – in the past – unable to abandon his present responsibilities to climb the political latter. He never used his job as a “stepping stone.” He never came in with any pre-meditated ten year plan or agenda to make it to the white house. If he stepped on toes in the course of doing his job, then he stepped on toes. He had Pennsylvanians – as opposed to himself – on his mind.

DePasquale was briefly mooted as a potential Democratic challenger to U.S. Rep. Scott Perry in the newly redrawn 10th Congressional District. But DePasquale opted against such a run, saying he wanted to serve out his last three years as Auditor General.

DePasquale would be term-limited out from seeking a third term in 2022, which leaves little else for him to do but mount a gubernatorial bid, as most Democrats seem to expect him to do.

AND any reasonably savvy Pennsylvania who has been following the spectacle of the Josh Shapiro administration, and all the facebook selfie videos and glamorous press release, and the total lack of substance has wisened up.

Between Josh Shapiro and Bernie Madoff, I’d pick Bernie Madoff. Josh Shapiro is crooked, self promoting, has his own selfish political agendas, has broken all of his promises, and his ambitions seethe through his superficial grandiosity when he appears in these lavish press conferences.

The Pennsylvania public is sick and tired of disingenuine politicians. While Josh Shapiro might have a large social media following, and a bigger following in the media because his excessive and self aggrandizing ridiculously over the top constant press releases, the Pennsylvania public sees through it….. And so do seasoned democrats, who don’t like the glibness, false charm and breaking of promises.

Eugene Depasquale, if we are to replace Governor Wolf (I’m huge Wolf fan), is better than Josh Shapiro in every respect. There is not a place, NOR WILL THERE EVER BE, for a person like Josh Shapiro in the white house.

Nobody wants a coward, who is unwilling to get his hands dirty. Nobody wants a Governor in Pennsylvania Office who puts his own selfish political ambitions, agendas and donors before his duty to the voters. Seasoned democrats in this state see it clearly, Josh Shapiro is a fraud, and while he may have supporters now, there is a very long way between now and 2022.

Furthermore, not only do I think Shapiro is morally unqualified for the Governor’s seat, I think he is a one term straw man of the OAG office, who has made a mockery out of his campaign to “restore integrity.” Get a republican in there, things were running much smoother. I’m a democrat, but I appreciate republicans in judicial offices, because they tend to follow the rules. Josh Shapiro is yet another dirtbag who managed to BS his way into office when Pennsylvania was in it’s most vulnerable state not trusting the CJS after Kane.